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| THREE IRONPIGS TO PLAY IN TRIPLE-A ALL-STAR GAME |
| IronPigs Are One of Just Five International League Teams with 3 or More All-Stars |
| (Allentown, Pa.) -- Rosters for the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game were announced Wednesday and three Lehigh Valley IronPigs were selected to participate in the contest, which will take place on Wednesday, July 16th at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, KY. Representing the inaugural class of IronPigs at the All-Star Game will be LHP Brian Mazone, INF Mike Cervenak and C Jason Jaramillo. |
| Brian Mazone, who spent a majority of last season pitching for the Samsung Lions in the Korean League, is making his first Minor League All-Star game appearance. The 31-year-old left-hander has posted an 8-6 record and 3.28 ERA in 17 starts this season. He currently leads the circuit in innings pitched (109.2) and ranks 8th in ERA (3.28). In 2006, he led the league in ERA (2.03) and was tied for second in wins (13) while pitching for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In his IL career, Mazone is currently 24-11 with a 2.56 ERA in 43 starts (274.2 ip, 78 er). As a professional, he has logged a gaudy 80-49 record -- a .620 winning percentage. |
| Mike Cervenak has enjoyed one of the top offensive seasons in the IL and currently ranks 2nd in the league in hits (99) and T-7th in average (.304). The 31-year-old will be making his second Triple-A All-Star appearance, having played in the 2005 contest while with Fresno. Earlier this season, he amassed an 18-game hitting streak, the longest by any player in the IL this year. Last year, he led the IL in hits (157), at-bats (554) and games (140) while playing with Baltimore’s Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides. |
| Jason Jaramillo returns to the Triple-A All-Star game for the second consecutive season after serving as Ottawa’s lone representative at the All-Star Game in 2007. A former 2nd round selection of the Phillies in 2004, Jaramillo has batted .315 (40-127) since May 12 to raise his collective batting average to .254. Jaramillo is a member of the Phillies 40-Man Roster and is currently ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Phillies organization by Baseball America. |
| The 2008 International League All-Star squad is made up of 13 elected players who have received the most votes from ballots submitted by clubs’ field managers and general managers (1/3), members of the media (1/3), and online fan voting (1/3). The elected players are joined by 15 additional All-Stars selected by the International League office. Each of the IL’s 14 clubs will be sending representatives to Louisville. |
| The International League will look to pick up its third consecutive win at the Midsummer classic after coming out victorious in the 2006 All-Star Game held in Toledo, Ohio and the 2007 Game in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This will be the 11th showdown under the current IL vs. PCL format, as the first ten contests pitted All-Stars selected from National League affiliates against those from the American League. The IL and PCL are currently tied 5-5. The winning League this year will once again earn the right to have its champion play as the “hometeam” at the Triple-A Championship Game – the Bricktown Showdown – in Oklahoma City this September. |
| The 21st annual Triple-A All-Star Game will be televised live on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. |
| Additional information about the 2008 Triple-A All-Star Game and its festivities can be found on the official websites of the host Louisville Bats (www.BatsBaseball.com), the International League (www.ILBaseball.com), and the Pacific Coast League (www.PCLBaseball.com). |
| Single-game tickets, new second-half mini-plan packages and group tickets for the IronPigs inaugural season, presented by Capital BlueCross, are on sale now and can be purchased at the Coca-Cola Park Ticket Office, online at www.ironpigsbaseball.com or by calling (610) 841-PIGS. |
